The Many
by millionmiles101
Summary: The being that was born from Shepard's decisions to control rather than destroy thinks on it's creator and remembers.


0001111001: Error; Rewrite Protocols.

Query: Protocol Designation

/…Processing… /

Statement: Designation Found

Primary Protocols: The Many

Shepard…

Commander Shepard…

This name resounds deep within the central processes of my new being, her name, her memories, and her passions and wishes all culminate into the being I have become. As the blue wave of the Reaper's new beginning washes over the galaxy, as husks run away from their initial prey, as the hulking death machines glide effortlessly into the sky; my first thoughts are of her. Of what this human being would have thought best, would have wanted. At best I am a shadow of her glory, a mere shade of the tiny human who had accomplished so much with so little. She is a puzzle to me; a puzzle that I cannot solve. So I do not, I decide to serve.

I do this by realizing that the organics will stop being afraid of my servants, the Reapers, until they have left their conflicts. And so I order them to retreat, to hastily leave the planets they had only moments ago been destroying. My essence rushes into every husk, marauder, banshee and brute, I flood their nannide-controlled minds with images of Shepard. With images of a human that had bridged all gaps between synthetic and organic to birth me, a servant of the Many. I feel them retreat, I hear my Harbinger ask "Why," before I purge his doubts, his protocols and self-preservation priorities. He is the oldest of the biomechanical servants; his struggle to continue to bring order to the chaos is challenging, but ultimately futile. After the purge he knows no more, remembers nothing of the war and destruction, remembers nothing of his way of living. Quickly, I rewrite his protocols. No longer will he be a soldier of destruction, a bringer of order, an incomprehensible god, he will be as I am. A servant of the Many, a symbol of the peace and prosperity the human - Shepard had hoped to achieve.

Harbinger first tasks his subordinates to repair the Mass Relays beyond galactic civilization. When this is done he puts them to work mining resources, gathering materials needed to begin rebuilding the rest of the Galaxy. I monitor the first organic communications that precede Harbinger's arrival, feel regret at the fear I hear in the organic's frantic attempts to alert the rest of society that a Reaper was in orbit. However, when Harbinger's booming voice placates the masses, assures them of his intentions to rebuild – not destroy, my being hums with the pleasure of fulfilled priorities in my processing units.

Within a matter of years the galaxy is once again a galactic center of prosperity, some servants return to the darkness, to await a signal that either calls them to rebuild once again, or to quell a threat that may never come. The rest of my servants stay on as advisors, diplomats, the ushers of peace and galactic success. Sometimes I almost feel human, for the Shepard within me inspires the need to continually monitor the life signs of her old crew, an Asari Doctor, a Turian Diplomat, a human Solider, a Krogan leader…as well as remember the lost. The Salarian Scientist, a Drell, a Geth – all are imprinted into my core, and with each passing cycle I divert some processing power to remembering what she remembers.

I know not what the future holds for this galaxy, my servants, or those I have sworn to protect to honor, her. Somewhere deep within the lurking depths of my processing power I am aware of a threat more ancient than my own Harbinger, and when the last of Shepard's old crew goes to join her in an everlasting nothingness, I divert my monitoring systems from them to warily monitoring my galactic neighbors. The Shepard in me takes note of my unfounded wariness, takes time to coax me into understanding my mysterious, ingrained fears. She spurs me to act, and one day, when I feel that he is no longer needed among the dark blue of my spiraling galaxy, I order Harbinger away. He is to fly further than dark space, reach beyond the limits of what all other Reapers have only known, travel to different systems, different stars to investigate my fears. His investigation will span centuries, but in the end I hope what he learns will help me better understand. Better understand the new threat that Shepard and I both feel is inevitably on its way. Better understand how I can once again protect the Many.


End file.
